90 First Clue and Satanael's Sceme.
(I edited the last three chapters to fix the issues people complained about.)
Artemis, Kurayami, and Shin started to cover great distances across America. Kurayami had not hunted since his last life when he killed the Russian Prime Minister. He escaped into Siberia in winter for a month while killing his pursuers.
He had to hunt a bear to survive with just a knife which he succeeded. When they finally stopped after running for 3 minutes they found something interesting. A small town in the countryside had been completely ransacked and butchered.
A massive pile of corpses of men, women, children, and infants was piled up with large holes in their chests or heads. Artemis covered her mouth in shock as this was not normal. The entire pile was burning and from the looks of it monsters had fed from the bodes.
"What could do this?"
Artemis walked up to the pile that was in the hundreds and saw they all had large spear wounds.
"It was a spear with considerable strength. It seems he is really free. This is not normal. The gods cannot kill mortals easily."
Kurayami shook his head as those rules no longer applied.
"That may be in the past, but I think the old rules are no longer applying. Something destroyed those laws that applied, but this is just the start. Soon, gods might kill entire human cities for their souls."
Artemis squinted her eyes as she saw an 8-year-old girl with a spear wound in her heart. She was holding the body of her little brother, with her body, but he died anyway.
"He is trying to recover his power or get stronger. This many souls would be enough for him to recover a large part of his might after being sealed for so long. How terrible."
Kurayami raised his hand and pointed it at the hill. Time and space magic appeared and covered the entire pile.
"Let's see what they did."
He replayed the events that happened here and it was just as they feared. Atlas had his followers gather up all the residents of this town and then he killed them one by one. This was the best way to not lose the souls, but Luke was with him.
He looked sickly and he was force-fed, human souls. He looked disgusted with himself, but Atlas patted him on the shoulder.
"You must feed, boy. If lord Kronus is to rise, you need to be stronger. Your fleshy body is nothing like without it. Eat."
Luke was on his knees as he had lived through the memories he ate. He did not have the power to eat souls without worry, unlike gods and Kurayami.
"No more. Stop this. I don't know who I am anymore."
Atlas kicked him in the ribs and launched him into the pile. The little girl wiht the baby in her hands used her body to protect him, but Atlas stabbed the both of them.
"Human life is meaningless. Eat."
He ripped out the souls and fed them to Luke who looked sick. Artemis shook her head at the sight.
"My the gods, this is sick."
Kurayami watched how Atlas slaughtered them all. He ate 95% of the souls before he force-fed the other 5 to Luke. The more he ate the more confused Luke seemed, but he was getting stronger.
Kurayami wave his hand and destroyed the scene that happened here.
"The more souls he eats the stronger he will get. If they want to give Kronus a host, this is the best way to do it. I think I will take Atlas for myself."
She could not say no really.
"We would need him to answer for his crimes and to hold the sky again. However, if you desire it he can be yours. Only that you should find a way to hold up the sky>"
He thought about it as he knew he could just use magic.
"I can do it myself, easily. All we need to do is find him which I can do, but it would be boring. Doesn't a hunt excite you? This is a new challenge for you Artemis, one you can enjoy. A good worthy hunt."
Artemis thought about it and tried hard to ask him to just tell her. She looked at the pile of bodies and the children, but she was still a god. She enjoyed the hunt more than anything.
"You act as if you know the feeling of being on such a hunt before?"
He remembered his past life.
"I do. I guess you could say that hunting was a part of me for a long time. Now that we are alone I need to talk to you about Zoe."
Artemis nodded.
"I know she is a little prideful?"
Kurayami looked over and took off his sunglasses
"I excused her attitude as I owed it to Nyx and Hades. However, let me make one thing clear before we continue. If she does not fix her attitude, someday I might let loose and kill her. Teach her better before I or my fiances do it. Zesshi is itching to cut her up."
Artemis knew that Zesshi was not a good person.
"That girl Zesshi, she is not human and she is not a god. What is she?"
He smiled as Zesshi was the only one of her kind in this world.
"She is an elf. Believe it or not. Seems we got some guests."
Helicopters, army jeeps, and even tanks rushed here. The U.S government had watched this go on by satellite, but there was little they could do. By the time their agents made it, Atlas was long gone.
Artemis squinted her eyes as she had tried to stay in hiding all this time.
"They can see us. What do we do?"
"Nothing, I got some dealings with the U.S and they know me."
Just as they said that many U.S soldiers rushed out of the jeeps, but did not aim their weapons at them. They went out to secure the perimeter while a tall, muscular caucasian man walked toward him.
Kurayami noticed how this man had a new Longinous as recently more and more sacred gears were evolving into Lonignous. He walked forward until he was ignorant of Kurayami and Artemis.
He extended his hand to Kurayami.
"I am Magnus Rose, CIA, and holder of Unknown Dictator."
Kurayami shook his head.
"Kurayami, leader of Grigori."
Artemis also shook his hand as she had no reason to.
"Artemis, goddess of the hunt."
Magnus knew that Kurayami was responsible for the death of Jayden, but he did not bring it up.
"What do you know about what happened here?"
Artemis looked at the bodies that were being analyzed.
"This was an attack by the Titan Atlas. He escaped from his burden and he is harvesting souls for himself and for Kronus. I have eaten human souls before and the power contained in even a mortal's soul is great."
Kurayami knew the feeling as well.
"I also have eaten human souls in the past, and I can tell you now that the Divine laws are no longer applying this will happen again."
Magnus secretly grits his hand as he did not like the idea of them eating souls. However, he was out of his element so he was going to stay quiet. The tanks spread out while the Supernatural Division of the CIA had set up a bounded field.
"I take that the two of you are hunting him down. Would you be willing to corporate with the U.S government in putting Atlas back?"
Kurayami shook his head.
"No, we are already on it. Just for the record, but I plan to recruit him and not seal him up."
Artemis also had something else to do.
"My job is to hunt him down. Your people can handle this. We are off."
Magnus called out to them before they went.
"Wait. I want to ask something before you go."
They both turned around to look at him. Kurayami kind of knew what it was, but he answered anyway.
"What is it?"
Magnus looked at him with a serious look.
"What do you think of us humans?"
Kurayami answered without missing a beat.
"Dumb, weak, and think themselves the best. All you need to know is that this world is yours because we let you live in it. If the Supernatural races worked together, humans would have either gone extinct or been enslaved."
Hearing that answer made Magnus angry, but he was told by the president to not ruin the deal they had. They had finally been allowed on the Moon and they were just getting set up. Being kicked out now would be terrible for America.
"What are you planning to do to us, humans?"
Kurayami had a plan that would be terrible for the humans, but he was not going to say it yet.
"If all goes well, motivate you and put you in your place. I want the world to be ruled by the strong. Might makes right and you are mighty. Take your place in the new world as we of the Supernatural are no longer hiding. We are here to stay."
Artemis nodded as she agreed.
"He is right Magnus Rose. I have noticed in the last months that you humans are losing your worth in the eyes of the magical races. If this keeps going, soon humans will be turned into obedient cattle."
Magnus did not accept that world. the innocents had just as much a right as the strong to live in this world.
"I will stop you if you do."
Kurayami patted him on the shoulder.
"Good luck Magnus. you are going to need it. Shin, the scent."
Shin smelled the pile of bodies and found that Atlas was on the move. Kurayami looked at Artemis as Shin found it.
"Come on, he is on the move. This reminds me of my childhood."
Artemis nodded.
"It does."
They rushed off leaving Magnus barely containing his anger.
'We humans will not just submit that easily Kurayami. We have survived till now because we do not yield. Let's see you take the full force of the World. Even you cannot take on a Nuke.'
He was very wrong as he had taken planetary level attacks from Ophis. Even a thousand nukes would not even be able to hurt him so Magnus was a frog in a well.
"SEAL THIS PLACE UP! TAKE THE BODIES!"
The soldiers all moved as this was going to be such a mess. As for Kurayami and Artemis, they moved over into Texas as Atlas's smell had vanished here. He used a means to destroy his scent and as Kurayami and Shin were doing this for fun they did not use anything extra to find.
Artemis and Kurayami appeared in the middle of a field that was burning with magical flames. She knew that was the spell to destroy your scent which means Atlas was not stupid.
"Seems he knows he is being hunted. If I was a soul hunting Titan where would I go?"
Kuraaymi thought about it as he had an idea.
"He will go after small towns to keep feeding himself and Luke. That many souls will have given him a decent boost and soon he will go after cities. He is trying to determine his limits. How much can he consume before he needs to rest."
Artemis waved her hands and dragged the fire toward her. She compressed it all into a ball in her hands and showed it to Shin.
"Shin, can you smell the magic trace in this. Body scent is not the only type out there after all."
Shin smelled the ball of fire and found a trace. He barked as he was finding this tracking fun. Just catching Atlas was boring, this hunting game was exciting. He barked as he started to follow the magical scent.
Kurayami looked at Artemis.
"He found it."
They rushed off to find Atlas, but things would not remain this easy. Atlas and Luke were currently in Dallas as he had left a trail in Alaska. He sat on a chair as Luke was shaking next to him. The memories and souls were not easy on him and he was dealing with the side effects.
"Satanael, why am I leading a Dragon God on a goose chance. Why is he not just going here?"
Satanael looked very different from before as he looked fully normal. Save for his black right arm and glowing heart he looked better.
"Kurayami is taking his time with this. He wants to have fun and my master is keen on seeing just how strong he is. Keep using Kurayami's arrogance and keep feeding. My master will protect you if needed."
Atlas gripped his hand as he did not like being used like this.
"Can you take him if he gets bored?"
Satanael looked at his sword and held the handle.
"I can take him. The blessings of my master are not just for show you know. Even Ophis and Kurayami could not find me and they won't."
Atlas sighed.
"Will he keep his promise?"
Satanael just smiled.
"My master keeps his word. He shall make Kronus rise stronger than ever. If needed, I will kill Kurayami. He has gotten that Longinous of his ready for me to take. Just keep feeding Luke as you are. His well-being is unimportant."
Atlas stood up and closed his eyes.
"I will hunt again. Will you keep it hidden?"
Satanael nodded.
"Of course."
Atlas and Luke left as the fallen angel stayed behind. He vanished as he felt that he had stabilized himself enough. He was still going after Shin as the new Longinous had been grown to new heights by Kurayami. He wanted it for himself.
